Niall Barron

Principal Research Interests

• Profiling and Engineering of CHO cells – This project is an SFI-funded, collaborative investigation of industrially-relevant CHO cells used in biopharmaceutical production. We have performed expansive transcriptional and proteomic profiling of a large panel of production cell lines generated by our collaborators, Wyeth Biopharma. This had led to the identification of a list of target genes that correlate with various desirable production cell culture phenotypes. These genes and proteins represent attractive targets for genetic engineering of CHO cell lines for improved biopharmaceutical production characteristics.
• MicroRNA expression in cancer cells and CHO cells. These short, non-coding RNA molecules constitute another level of cellular regulation of gene expression. I am interested in studying the role of miRNAs in various cancer cell phenotypes and as potential tools for engineering better CHO cell lines for recombinant protein production.
• Targetable cell lines for biopharmaceutical production – Enterprise Ireland-funded project to develop a stable master cell line (CHO) into which any gene of interest can be inserted rapidly and which has been pre-screened for high expression, genetic stability and other desirable production characteristics.

Publications

• M Muniyappa, P Dowling, M Henry, P Meleady, P Doolan, P Gammell, M Clynes, Barron N* 2009. MiRNA-29a regulates the expression of numerous proteins and reduces the invasiveness and proliferation of human carcinoma cell lines. Eur J Cancer. 10.1016/j.ejca.2009.09.014
• Pierce A, Linehan R, Barron N*, Ryan E, O’Driscoll L, Daly C, Clynes M. Identification of a novel, functional role for S100A13 in invasive lung cancer cell lines. Eur Journal of Cancer, 2008, Jan;44(1):151-9. (*Corresponding author)
• Gammell P, Barron N*, Kumar N, Clynes M., Initial identification of low temperature and culture stage induction of miRNA expression in suspension CHO-K1 cells. J Biotechnology, 2007, Jun 30;130(3):213-8.
• Barron, N; Piskareva, O; Muniyappa, M; Piskareva, O; Clynes, M; Barron, N* Targeted genetic modification of cell lines for recombinant protein production. CYTOTECHNOLOGY,2007, Apr. 53 (1-3): 65-73